Quantitative Assessment of Sucking for Early Diagnosis of Brain Injury in Infants at High Risk

Hypoglycemia Clinical Trial

Official title:

Quantitative Assessment of Sucking for Early Diagnosis of Brain Injury in Infants at High Risk

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Terminated

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03246243
• Other study ID #: IRB-P00023193
• Status: Terminated
• Start date: March 29, 2017
• Est. completion date: May 18, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: May 2021
• Source: Boston Children's Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

The main goal of this study is to quantitatively assess the sucking and feeding activity of infants at high risk of neurological impairment (preterm infants and term infants at risk of abnormal neurodevelopment) during oral sucking and feeding and correlate it with their underlying neurological impairment for the early diagnosis of brain injury.

Description:

This research will address the current lack of objective tools for the reliable assessment of oral sucking and feeding in clinical practice, and the insufficient evidence that relates early measures of abnormal sucking activity with the underlying neurological impairment. The main goal of this study is to quantitatively assess the sucking and feeding activity of infants at high risk of neurological impairment (preterm infants and term infants at risk of abnormal neurodevelopment) during oral sucking and feeding and correlate it with their underlying neurological impairment for the early diagnosis of brain injury. We aim to study three groups of infants who are inpatients on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH), the NICU or Newborn Nursery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the Special Care Nursery (SCN) or Newborn Nursery at Winchester Hospital as follows: (i) group A consisting of preterm infants (gestational age of <37 weeks), (ii) group B consisting of term infants admitted to the NICU at BCH and BIDMC for therapeutic hypothermia who are at risk of developing hypoxic ischemic injury (HIE); admitted with concern for neonatal stroke; seizures of unknown etiology; and those admitted to the NICU, SCN or Newborn Nursery at BCH, BIDMC and Winchester Hospital at risk of abnormal neurodevelopment such as those with hypoglycemia or neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and; (iii) group C consisting of healthy term infants admitted to the NICU, SCN or nursery who had an initial uncomplicated postnatal course that will serve as the control group. Additionally, those infants who have MRI of the brain for any reason during the course of their hospital admission will also be included in the study and allocated to the appropriate group accordingly.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Terminated
• Enrollment: 16
• Est. completion date: May 18, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: May 18, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A to 6 Months

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Preterm infants with GA<37 weeks
• Term infants with GA>37 weeks and at risk of brain injury
• Healthy term infants with GA= 37-41 weeks, appropriate birth weight, 5 minute Apgar score>7, and an initial uncomplicated postnatal course

Exclusion Criteria:

• major congenital anomalies
• craniofacial malformation
• short bowel syndrome

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Brain Diseases
• Brain Injuries
• Brain Ischemia
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain
• Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Intervention

Device:
• nfant feeding solution
The study will record the sucking activity of the hospitalized infants over time, from their first oral sucking session including non-nutritive and nutritive sucking, until discharge, using an FDA-approved device that equips a typical bottle and nipple commonly used in the NICU with a non-invasive sensor to measure sucking activity. Each infant's nutritive and non-nutritive sucking patterns will be measured, and will comprise the 'sucking session' conducted with the bottle sensor.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Boston Children's Hospital	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Boston Children's Hospital	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Winchester Hospital

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Difference in sucking activity of infants with brain injury	Primary outcome will be an assessment of the sucking activity of infants with brain injury and infants without brain injury, using an FDA-approved device for sucking assessment.	Approximately one year through study completion
Secondary	Sucking activity of infants and brain connectivity	The functional and structural connectivity of the brain areas involved in sucking and feeding in infants with brain injury will be assessed reviewing the results of clinically ordered neuroimaging and neurodevelopmental tests.	Approximately three years through study completion